Heart of Ice, Temper of Fire
by panic-on-the-typewriter
Summary: All High School Senior, Gabrielle, was worried about was passing with good grades. But...In light of recent events, being 'normal' and focusing on regular teenage girl things, is not an option anymore. Follow her on her journey through season one of 'Heroes'. Can she make a difference?
1. Prologue

Prologue

I feel the power surging through me. This can't happen. Not here. I squeeze my eyes shut, and focus on keeping the ice armor that threatens to encase me at bay.

"You alright?" I hear my best friend, Abbi whisper to me. I shake my head faintly. The cold burning sensation threatens to go further up my arm. I can only keep it from going further, this power is too strong. The ice blue armor stops at my wrist, covering my hands that are clenched into fists.

"I need to get out of here." I force through clenched teeth. No one knows about my power except for me. I can't risk anyone knowing, they already think I'm a freak of nature as it is.

"Just raise your hand and ask to go to the nurse or something…" She suggests. Well Abbi, thanks for that suggestion, but I'm afraid that's not going to work for me.

"Is everything okay Miss. Wood and Miss. Nicole?" I hear our teacher, Mrs. Jones ask. I snap my eyes open and see her standing in front of the white board, hands on her hips. Her short blonde hair is swept to the side, and her ice blue eyes pierce my hazel ones.

"I'm not feeling too well." I admit. She raises her thin eyebrows.

"What's the matter?" She questions. I decide to have some fun with it.

"I'm really cold, I have the chills. It's like I'm covered in ice. And my stomach feels uneasy." I say. The whole class turns around to look at me expectantly. What did they expect to find? Me actually covered in ice? I swear some of these people are idiots. But I guess they wouldn't be too far off. I actually am turning into ice.

"Alright. I'll give you a pass to the nurse. Come up here." She says reluctantly. She digs in her drawer, pulling out the nurse pass. I keep my fists shoved in my pockets. How the hell am I going to take this from her?

"I think…I might need someone to go with me…" I say. Faking a gag. I hold my stomach from under my sweatshirt, and lean forward. She sighs and looks behind me.

"Abbi, would you mind taking your overdramatic friend to the nurse?" She asks, bored.

"Yeah." I hear Abbi respond, a smile in her voice.

"Thank you." Mrs. Jones says before getting back to her lesson.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Abbi asks, raising an eyebrow.

"I told you. I have the chills. And feel uneasy." I say. I feel some of the ice recede back down my wrists.

"Yeah. Okay." She scoffs. I roll my eyes and continue walking down the empty corridor.

"Well, we're here. See you later bro." Abbi waves, and winks before turning around and going back to class. I watch her short figure disappear down the hall. Abbi is short, but she's absolutely one of prettiest girls in school. She has short light brown hair that's usually straightened and parted to the side, and these bright green eyes. She would never agree with me.

"Hey Sheryl. I don't feel too well. Can I make a phone call to my dad?" I ask the nurse. We're on a first name basis now. I come here so often and she actually likes me and thinks I'm great. Same with Abbi too. She slides off her glasses, and studies my face. Her dark curly hair falls in her face. She pushes it back to get a better look at me.

"Oh, Gabby. What's wrong?" She asks me. I can see in her green eyes that she's skeptical. Great. How am I going to convince a freaking nurse that I'm sick, when I don't have any symptoms? Well any symptoms that I can explain.

"I feel cold. Like the chills, and I feel a bit nauseous." I say. It's better to stick to the story that I told Mrs. Jones. Finally, the very last of the ice disappears, leaving me ice-free. I let out a small sigh of relief.

"Okay. I'm going to take your temperature." She gets up and pulls out the thermometer and some rubbing alcohol. She wipes off the thermometer and hands it to me.

I place it under my tongue, and wait. She leans against her desk, crossing her arms, and looking at floor.

"It's a little chilly in here, don't you think?" She asks, looking outside. It is snowing. But I have a feeling that's not the reason. I nod my head.

The thermometer beeps, and I take it out. I glance at the temperature. 48.9 degrees Fahrenheit. I can't let her see this. I press the button quickly, erasing the data.

"What was it?" She asks.

"102.5 Fahrenheit." I lie. Shouldn't I be dead right now? 48.9 degrees?!

"Are you lying to me?" She asks, squinting her eyes.

"No. I really don't feel good." I lie again. How can I explain a temperature that would mean that I would possibly be dead?

"Okay, here's the phone." She says, grabbing the thermometer from me. I pick up the phone, and dial my dad's number quickly.

"Hello?" I hear him say. Hearing his voice makes me feel better.

"He Dad." I say.

"Oh, hi baby. What's up?" He asks.

"I'm not really feeling well, is it okay if I drive home? I have a temperature." I inform him. I hear him pause.

"What was your temperature?" He asks me. The one thing about my dad, is he hates lying more than anything else. He always knows when I'm lying, too.

"It wasn't good. 102.5 F." I say as convincing as I can.

"Okay. Yeah that's fine. I'll see you when I get home. Ali won't be home, she's sleeping at her sister's house. The kids are with her." He says. Ali is my stepmom. My mom and dad split when I was seven, which was eleven years ago. I have three half-siblings, my dad and Ali have Lillie who is four, and Andie, who is two. My mom and her husband Chris have Sydnee who is six. My mom and dad had me and my brother, Ezra, who is eighteen. He's the only full-blooded sibling I have. I live with my dad and Ali, and Ezra lives with my mom and Chris.

"Which sister?" I ask. My stepmom has a million siblings. Okay, not really. She has three sisters and one brother. There's Tammie, Wendie, Heidy, and Troy.

"Wendie. The kids wanted to sleepover, and Ali thought it would be fun to spend the night." He adds. I nod.

"Okay. I'll see you later dad." I say.

"Alright. I love you, feel better." He says before clicking the end button. I hang up the phone.

"I can go home." I inform Sheryl.

"Okay. I'll sign you out, just go grab your stuff and feel better Gabby." She hugs me quickly. She shivers after the encounter.

"Thanks." I say, and walk to class. What is going on with me? Where did these powers even come from?

I walk into class and see Mrs. Jones talking with Ben. I was friends with him once. We were good friends, but one day he kind of just threw me away like trash. He kind of does that with everyone.

"I'm going home." I tell Mrs. Jones.

"Really? Aw. I hope you feel better." She says, looking to me.

"Are you really going home?" Abbi asks me quietly, as I bend over to gather my things.

"No. I was just kidding. I'm really just gathering my things to sit back down again." I say sarcastically. I roll my eyes and pull out my car keys.

"I don't know. You seem fine to me." She smiles. I roll my eyes and wave to her.

"Bye. Love you." She laughs lightly.

I walk out the double doors, and decide before I go home, I'd try something. It's December. It's cold. It's even colder near the ocean. I'm going to drive to Galilee in Narragansett. It's a far drive from the middle of nowhere, but it will work. Rhode Island is very small.

Once I reach the ocean, I step out of my car bravely. The cold temperature doesn't even bother me. That has been happening a lot. Being outside in snowfall, doesn't even phase me.

I walk through the parking lot and sneak along the rocks. I walk on top of the huge boulders in the water, noticing how cold the black water looks. I breathe in the cold salty air of the ocean. It somehow makes me feel stronger. I walk out to where the rock boulders suddenly end.

I remember that a person loses body heat 25 times faster in water than in air. I slide off my jacket, as if I needed it. I take a deep breath, and jump into the icy water right when I hear someone calling after me. The water feels warm to me, strangely. Whoever caught me is going to cause a problem. I'm 99.9 percent sure that when I resurface I will be perfectly fine. They're going to obviously think that I will go into hypothermia and they'll want to check my vitals. Which are a little whacky lately. I wonder what it will read.

I hear a loud splash behind me. I feel strong arms wrap around my waist, and pull me up to the surface. I gasp for air. I look behind me, and see a guy with drenched blonde hair and bright blue eyes staring at me in fear. He pulls us up onto the rocks. His teeth chatter and he shivers.

"Oh my goodness, you're going to get hypothermia, we have to get you inside. Now." I panic. I'm not normal, I'll be fine, but he won't.

"A-And y-you won't?" The violent movement of his jaws snapping together cause him to stutter. I shake my head, and pick up my jacket, wrapping it around him.

"Y-you n-need this." He protests. I feel fine, warm actually.

"No, I don't. Trust me. Let's get you warmed up. Come on." I tow him towards the building.

"H-How are you n-not freezing?" He gasps.

"I'll tell you later. When you're warm." I tell him. He follows me inside the office. The heat hits me like a truck.

"Agh!" I flinch. The air is too warm.

"W-what?" He asks me, stepping in.

"Nothing. It's just a little stuffy in here." I admit, grabbing a few towels from the shelf to the right of me. I toss a couple to him, and keep one. We dry off the best we can in silence.

"S-so…Will you tell m-me what the hell is wrong with you?" He asks me. I look on his shirt and see his name is Jake.

"Uh…It's complicated. I can't say anything to anyone. It's not safe." I say.

"No. I just watched you jump into below freezing water and n-not have one ounce of chills. You're telling me." He says, crossing his arms. There's no way I'm getting out of this. He just risked his life to save me, I think I can trust him.

"Fine. If I tell you, you cannot tell a soul. I don't even know what's happening to me." I say, serious. He nods his head, sipping a cup of steaming cup of tea on his desk.

"It started happening one day. I kept getting the chills, and then it stopped. I look down and see this thick ice encasing my feet, and moving up my body. It eventually went away, but I learned that it's almost indestructible. I tried cutting it with a knife, smashing it with a hammer, melting it with a blowtorch. Nothing worked." I rush out, watching his reaction. His eyes grow wide, and he stares at me in awe. I do have to admit he is attractive. His crystal blue eyes and soft features do it for him.

"And one day I got mad at my brother and this shard of ice shot from my hand. It hit a tree, and severed it in half. My temperature today was 48.9 degrees Fahrenheit and I didn't even feel cold. I am completely functional." I say, playing with my hands.

"Do your parents know? Does anyone know? Does it hurt?" He asks a million questions.

"No one knows.. It doesn't hurt. As far as I know, I'm perfectly healthy. I don't know what it is, but I'm trying to control it. It seems as it gets colder, the stronger my power gets." I think out loud.

"You are a superhero!" He jumps up, pointing a finger at me.

"No I'm not!" I snap back.

"You are. It's been going around. This geneticist wrote a book or something on people accessing their 'abilities'. We only use a small percentage of our brains, imagine what would happen if we could use more? Stuff like this!" He exclaims. He's very enthusiastic. I think its cute how gets excited over this stuff. He's not too bad. If I could have anyone know my secret, I'm glad it's him.

"Oh yeah? And who is this geneticist?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Dr. Suresh. I saw it in the bookstore and I thought it looked cool, so I snagged it. It's at my house. I can bring it to you if you want." He tells me. I think about the possibility that this could be real. That this Dr. Suresh could help me.

"I need to get my power under control first. I'm becoming dangerous." I say sadly.

"Don't worry, I'm strong. I just beat hypothermia." He winks. I roll my eyes.

"I have to go home, I told my dad I was sick and needed to rest. I live far away from here." I tell him.

"Where do you live?" He asks. Usually I don't answer this question, but he knows that I can turn into an ice sculpture, I doubt telling him where I live will get me in trouble.

"In the middle of nowhere. I live in Historical Chepachet. That's what they call it over there. A long time ago a war was fought there or something." I explain.

"Whoa. You _are_ a long way from home." He breathes.

"Yeah." I laugh. He laughs too. It's nice having someone who knows who I am, and still accepts me. Although I just met him, I like him.

"Here's my number. Definitely stay in touch. Maybe we can meet up one day at the library and look at that book." He suggests. I would like that.

"Yeah, absolutely. Here's mine." I scrawl my number out on a napkin and hand it to him. He hands me his more civilized piece of paper. I smile widely at him and turn around to go to my car. Hopefully I make it home in time.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey everyone! Here is chapter one! I hope you guys like it. As always, review and let me know what you think! I'm open to suggestions for what you would like to see happen, after all, you guys are the ones reading it. Enjoy!**

I speed all the way home. The good thing about living up here is that there are only two cops on patrol at the same time, and you almost never run into them. I hear my phone ringing. I glance down and see the name 'Jake' pop up. I smile to myself. I click the button that puts the call through the car speakers.

"Hello?" I say, the smile evident in my voice.

"Hey, are you busy right now?" He asks.

"No, I'm just driving home, but I have you on the car speaker." I say.

"Oh, sweet. So I was wondering if I could come over tomorrow. It's Saturday and I found the chapter about weird biological disorders that cause the body to react strangely. I'm guessing that's you…" He wanders off, careful no to offend me.

"I'll ask my parents, and they'll want to meet you. Every new friend I make- they meet. Oh! By the way, I wasn't at the beach today. I met you driving home from school. You were on the side of the road with a flat tire." I say, a bit more demanding than I intended.

"Uh…I don't have a car. Only a motorcycle." He says. I raise my eyebrows. I didn't take him for the motorcycle type.

"Oh. You had a flat tire in your motorcycle?" I say, more like a question.

"Not likely. But we can roll with that." He laughs. I smile. His laugh is adorable.

"Well I will definitely tell them tonight. It's just going to be me and my dad tonight. Ali's at her sister's house with the kids." I tell him, making a sharp turn.

"Who's Ali?" He asks, confused.

"She's my stepmom. My parents are divorced." I tell him.

"I'm so sorry. That must suck." He says. He sounds sympathetic.

"Yeah, well it did at first. But that was eleven years ago. It's fine now. Everyone's remarried and has kids." I explain the best I can. It's difficult.

"Yeah, my parents are still together, but all they do is fight. How many siblings do you have?" He asks. I'm kind of flattered that he's taken such an interest in my life.

"Four. Two sisters, one of them is six, and one is four. I have two brothers, one is eighteen, and the other one is two." I say.

"Wow. So you're all spread out, huh?" He says lightheartedly.

"Yeah. My older brother is the only full-blooded sibling I have, but I of course don't think of them that way." I interject, trying to not make myself sound snobby.

"How old are you?" He responds, cautiously.

"Thirteen." I say, trying to hold in my laughter.

"What?! There is no way you're thirteen! You don't…You have…How the…" He sputters loudly. I burst out in laughter.

"I'm just kidding. I'm seventeen. I'm a senior this year." I say. I pull onto my street.

"Ugh…The heart attacks you have given me today!" He exclaims. I suppress a giggle and switch the call over to my cell.

"Well, I'm going to go play sick. I'll text you?" I say, unlocking my door.

"Yeah, sure." He says. I click the end button, and close the door.

I make my way to bedroom. As soon as I open my door, I see Boris, my cat. His orange fur stands out from the stark white of my bed comforter. I whip over the blanket, and climb in bed. I call Boris and pat the spot beside me. He gets up and lets out a small meow.

I hear my phone buzz. I look down and see that I have a text from Jake.

Jake: Are you a good actress?

Me: Yeah :) I take drama classes. But of course, I have all natural talent.

Jake: Oh, I'm sure. ;p

Me: Gtg, I can hear my dads car! Wish me luck!

Jake: Good luck! Don't freeze anyone..

Me: Thanks for that.

Jake: Anytime.

I delete the conversation. My dad would ask too many questions if he ever saw the freezing anyone remark. I'll eventually tell him. When I get my powers under control. Until then, I can't risk it.

I hear my dad open the door, and walk in.

"Gabby?" He calls. I let out a small cough.

"In here." I croak. He walks in my room. I see him dressed in his mine dust-covered clothes from work. I look into his warm hazel eyes, the same as mine. I see that he's worried. I immediately feel guilty.

"How are you feeling?" He asks, taking a bottle of ginger ale and a cup of soup out of a bag I just realized he was holding. He bought me stuff. He spent his money on stuff I don't really need. The guilt intensifies.

"Dad…You didn't have to buy me anything." I say. He waves his hand, dismissing my statement.

"You're my daughter. I can spend my money on you. Here, it's chicken soup, and ginger ale." He hands them carefully to me. He places a calloused hand to my forehead.

"Your ice cold." He withdraws his hand.

"Yeah. It's the chills." I tell him, avoiding eye contact.

"I'm going to take your temperature." He leaves the room. Oh no. This is what I've been dreading. He's going to find out. My heart begins to race. I feel the armor return. This time, it's starting from my chest, spreading outwards. I look down at the glassy blue substance. I need to calm down. He returns quickly, holding the thermometer. I whip the blankets up, covering myself.

He hands me the thermometer wordlessly. He sits down on my bed, and calls for Boris. I place the thermometer in my mouth. This should be good.

After a few minutes of my dad petting Boris, and me glancing out the window, its beeps. My dad reaches for it, but I take it out immediately, as if it burned me. 45.7 degrees F. I'm about to click the button, but my dad swipes it form my hand, looking at the mini screen in shock.

His eyes widen, and his mouth parts. He looks to me, and then the thermometer. He keeps looking between us.

"How..." He trails off. He studies me for a second.

"You're not sick, are you?" He asks me. I look at him in confusion. Does he know? He couldn't possibly. He always had this weird knack for knowing when people are lying, and his judgement is never wrong about someone. It's like he has a sixth sense about reading people. He could know.

"How is that temperature possible? It must be wrong." I play dumb. I fake a worried expression.

"Stop. You're lying. You know exactly how this is possible." He hints. I blink.

"Dad, say it. Say what you're thinking." I tell him. I won't tell him, there is a small chance I could be wrong about him knowing.

"Honey, be honest with me, you've noticed changes lately. This temperature is one of them." He states blatantly. I feel the ice grow up my neck, as the stress increases. I sigh. He knows. I don't know how, but he does.

I rip the blanket down. I watch his reaction. He gasps.

"Is that ice?" He asks. I nod.

"I can't control it. It's like an armor. I've tried melting it, cutting it, smashing it, nothing works. I can also shoot ice from my hands. The cold doesn't bother me. I lied. I went to the beach instead of going home. I jumped in the ice water, and it felt warm. Then Jake saw me, and he tried to rescue me, not realizing that I'm immune to it. So he needed an explanation, and I had to tell him. I couldn't lie and get away with it. But he knows a doctor that can help me." I explain to him, he looks confused.

"Who is Jake?" He asks.

"The lifeguard. He almost got hypothermia, I was perfectly fine, and so I had to tell him. But he already kind of knew. He bought Dr. Suresh's book which is about people like me." I clarify.

"Dr. Suresh…He called me. He knows about people like us." He says. I freeze-not literally-well actually kind of. The ice armor hasn't left. But not in that sense.

" _Us?_ Dad…Do you have a power?" I ask him.

"Yes. So does your brother." He says. How could he not have told me about this? I've been going crazy thinking something was wrong with me! The anger builds.

"Do you know how scared I was? I've been driving myself crazy, thinking there was something wrong with me! Why didn't you tell me?!" I outburst, the armor suddenly shoots down my arms and torso.

"You have to control your emotions. Especially since our powers feed off of the energy our emotions emit. The reason I didn't tell you was because I wasn't sure you had a power. It's dangerous knowing this. Jake is now as risk because he knows." My dad tells me. The anger disappears. I don't want to hurt anyone. Especially Jake. We just became friends.

"Dad, what am I going to do? He wants to come over tomorrow. I can't just never talk to him again. He knows, which means we have to protect him. I can protect him." I tell my dad. The ice starts to recede.

"Honey, you have such a great heart. I know that you can protect him, but with time and practice of your powers. You don't even know the limits of your powers." He tells me. I pout for a second. I can test them right now! It's just me and my dad here.

"I'm going to test my weaknesses. In case you guys need to diffuse me, you'll know how. I'm cold, and icy, the opposite of that would be heat and fire." I get up, and walk into the kitchen, my dad trailing behind me.

I fill a pot with water, and start the stove. My plan is to get the water hot enough so it will weaken me-if it will weaken me. In the meantime, I concentrate on getting the ice to disappear. I close my eyes, and imagine the feeling of the ice, what it looks like, the smooth glassy feel of it. I feel it starting to go away. I concentrate harder and the very last of it disappears. Now, I'm going to try and shoot ice from my hands. I haven't used this power at all.

I go outside, and focus on a tree in the distance. There isn't anyone around here for miles, so there is no risk of anyone seeing me. I close my eyes and imagine all my power going to my hands. I feel the wave of cold energy surge from my mind, down to my hands. I hold my palm out, and aim for the tree. Suddenly a huge ice crystal launches from my hand. It doesn't hit the tree, instead it flies into the woods. At least I know how this feature of my ability works.

I turn around and go inside. I walk in and see the water has tiny bubbles on the bottom of the pan. Perfect. I stick one hand in. The scalding hot water burns my hand. I try to get the ice armor to cover my hand and protect me, but it doesn't work. I focus harder. I know I can do this. I groan in pain and take my hand out. It's too hot. I examine my hand and see its red, and blisters are beginning to form. Something strange happens. The blisters disappear, and a thin layer of frost covers the injured parts of my hand. Confused, I brush it off, revealing smooth, clear skin. Wait…Did I just heal? Does the ice have healing properties?

I decide to test my theory. I grab a knife from the drawer. I take a deep breath. I slice a small thin line across the palm of my hand. I watch as the same frost sprouts from the cut, covering it. I brush it off, and see there is no cut, no scar, and no trace of it. I smile to myself. This is so cool! I look to my dad who has been watching me silently the whole time. In his face I can see happiness. He's proud of me. In this moment I know that with more practice, I can become something great. I can help people, and make my father proud.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here is Chapter 2! I'd really appreciate it if you'd drop a review at the bottom, good or bad, it helps my writing. Thanks!**

Chapter 2:

I open my eyes. After I tested my powers last night, my dad and I talked about my brother Ezra's powers. He can do the exact opposite as me. Ezra can manipulate fire and heat. He is heat resistant. He can walk through a fire and not get burned. He can shoot fireballs from his hands, and he can set a fire anywhere. I asked him how long he knew, and he said that he knew since he was fifteen. That's a whole three years no one said anything to me. But then again, I didn't even know powers existed until a few weeks ago.

I get up, and stretch. Today I think I will take a walk to Dunkin Donuts. I need my smoothie. I don't care for coffee. I don't like the bitter taste. I've tried to like it, since almost everyone in the world drinks it. I just can't shake the aftertaste.

I glance at my phone and see a text from Jake. I press my finger to the home button. It unlocks my phone. I open the message.

Jake: Good morning Ice Queen. I was wondering what time I should come over, that's if I can.

Me: Yeah, you can. I talked to my dad and he knows. He also has a power too. Get ready now, it will take you a while to get here. I'm going to run to Dunkin real quick.

Jake: Okay, sweet. And WHAT

Jake: YOUR DAD HAS A POWER?

Me: Yeah, I'll explain when you get here, so hurry!

Jake: Okay. I'm on my way. I have the book.

Me: See you then :)

I dress in sweatpants and a black t-shirt. Dunkin is only around the corner. Although it's below freezing, and snow covers every surface, since I can't freeze, I decide to not wear a coat. I'm sure the neighbors will be talking about this one.

"Dad, I'm going to run to Dunkin, you want anything?" I yell, as I walk to the kitchen.

"No sweetie, that's okay. Save your money." He yells back. I roll my eyes.

"I'm your daughter, I can spend my money on you if I want." I quote him from last night.

"Nice try. Just bring me back a donut." He says. I smile to myself.

I walk outside, and breathe in the chilly air. I start walking. A few people give me weird looks from their cars, but other than that, I reach Dunkin without any complications. I walk in. It's eerily empty today, except for a strange man. He's no older than 23 years old. He's just sitting in a chair in the corner. His black baseball hat is blocking my view of his face. I don't recognize him. I know everyone over here. That's how small towns work. Everyone knows everyone.

"What can I get for you?" The cashier asks. I draw my eyes away from the man and look to the cashier.

"Uh…A medium strawberry banana smoothie please, and a Boston crème donut." I say kindly. He nods and gets started on my drink. The man with the black hat looks up from his paper, and stares at me. I feel uneasy. I meet his cold brown eyes framed by thick eyebrows. Something about his face makes him look sort of…sinister. I look away quickly, my cheeks warming. I don't really like attention.

I walk towards one of the windows and look out at the town. I see a girl inside her car, arguing with a drunk man. I can tell he's drunk because he keeps swaying and stumbling and he's holding a pretty much empty bottle of whiskey. I roll my eyes.

I look at the man with the hat. He stares at me, and it seems something clicked in his brain, because he looks at me differently. A smug smile creeps across his face.

"Miss, your order is ready." The cashier says. I jump, the cashier's voice too loud for such a quiet place. I look away from the man. But he never takes his eyes off me.

"Thank you." I murmur, taking my things from his warm hands. His arm has goosebumps from where my icy fingers touched his. I slide into a booth, and start sipping the cold drink. I see that Mr. Creepy keeps staring at me.

"Uh…Can I help you?" I ask, my voice quiet. I can feel the weight of his gaze still on me.

"Actually…You can." He says, getting up and walking towards me. I brace myself to run. Something about him screams danger. He slides in across from me.

"My name is Gabriel…Do you live around here, I need some directions." He nods his head towards the window. Gabriel. What a coincidence. My name is Gabrielle.

"You were staring at me all because you needed directions?" I question.

"I have social anxiety…It takes me longer than most to approach someone and talk to them." He tells me, his eyes dropping to my hand where a thin scar remains from my experiment last night with the knife.

"How'd you get that scar?" He asks, lifting an eyebrow.

"I…Cut myself by accident." I say.

"Oh…I need directions to the town hall." He says. I look in his dark eyes.

"You go straight until you see a fire station and a church. It's right there." I say quickly. He nods his head.

"Thank you. You've been so kind. Most girls wouldn't look at me twice, never mind talk to me." He states.

"Yeah, well I'm not like most girls, and you're welcome." I say, gathering my things. I get up to leave, but he grasps my hand. He stares in wonder at it. It must feel cold to the touch.

"You have very cold hands. You should wear gloves. Or a coat for that matter. Aren't you cold?" He interrogates me. Even more creeped out than I was, I rip my hand from his grip.

"I must be going now." I say and quickly walk out. I regret not taking my car. I doubt if he decides to chase me, I'll have a chance in outrunning him.

I look back and see him exit Dunkin Donuts. He meets my eyes and walks towards me. My heart begins to accelerate. The ice armor begins to travel up my neck, and cover my chest. This is the most inopportune time for my powers to present themselves. I breathe in and out, trying to get the ice to disappear. My power is acting defensively. I can't control it. All of a sudden, Gabriel is front of me. His eyes travel over the ice, which is now up to my eyebrows.

"You are…Magnificent…I need it." He says, his eyes delicately studying every aspect of my armor. Confusion overtakes me. I have to do something. I concentrate on my hands. I focus the wave of energy down to my hands. The ice shards shoot out of them, but miss him by a centimeter. I should've worked on aim last night. The ice covers my forehead.

He lifts a single finger, a smile spreading across his face. After a few seconds, his smile falters. He furrows his brows, concentrating. He grunts in aggravation.

"You…This ice is indestructible. Your power is truly a gift. Do you know you're the only one I can't kill?" He stares into my eyes, his face getting closer. He places a finger lightly to my cheek. I hold my breath. He slides it down the smooth glass of my face. He stops when he reaches my collarbone.

"I'll be back. Until then, Gabrielle." He smiles, and walks away. How did he know my name? I breathe, frost covering the air. I'm the only one he can't kill? What the hell does that mean? I make a run for it. I run at full speed, up the snow covered sidewalks. I reach my house in no time.

"Dad!" I shout. I see my dad sitting on the couch.

"What is it?" He asks, standing up.

"Someone knows about abilities. He tried…I don't even know what he tried. But he told me I was the only one he couldn't kill. His name is Gabriel." I rush out, catching my breath. My dad looks at me, recognition flashing across his face.

"His name is Sylar. He is responsible for many deaths. Dr. Suresh told me. When you left, I got an uneasy feeling from my power, so I called up Dr. Suresh, and he told me that Sylar was in the area. He told me that Sylar is a very evil serial killer. He has the ability to see how powers work. He has the power to take people's abilities by cutting their heads open with a move of his finger." My dad tells me. I stare at him open-mouthed.

"So I had an encounter with the world's most dangerous man?" I say, bewildered.

"Essentially, yes. But your powers saved you. Your ice armor is indestructible." My dad says.

"Plus, you can heal. Almost. You scar, but you heal." He reminds me. I nod my head.

"Well then, I guess these powers do come in handy. Jake is on his way, by the way." I say, handing him his donut.

"Gabrielle, don't go after him. You need control of your powers first. He is no match for you." My dad says, sensing what I'm thinking. Damn that power.

"Jake is on his way, I'm going to get dressed." I tell my dad. He nods at me, opening the bag, and pulling out his donut.

I walk into my room, and let out the breath I was holding. Frost covers part of the wall I'm facing. I shake my head. I pull on jeans and a simple t-shirt.

I hear a knock on my door after a few minutes. I get up from laying on my bed and answer the door. I see Jake standing there in a white cashmere sweater, and khaki's. His golden blonde hair is tousled, and his deep blue eyes stare at me. He looks worried.

"Hey…Your dad told me what happened. Are you okay?" He asks me, his voice smooth.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Oh, hey! Let me show you something." I grab his warm hand. His hand flinches to the icy touch.

"Am I really that cold?" I comment.

"Well, you are the Ice Queen." He smiles. I give a weak smile of my own. I pull out a knife, and let go of his hand. He stares at me, his eyes wide.

"Uh…What are you doing?" He questions.

"Watch." I take the knife and dig it into my forearm, from the crease of my elbow to my wrist. His mouth drops open, as the red blood pools out of the gash. He jumps over, and takes my arm in his hands.

"Gabby! You can't just…" He trails off, as the frosty ice crystals sprout up from the wound.

"What the-" He begins, but cuts himself off.

"I can heal." I smile. I brush off the crystals. All that remains is a long scar.

"Wow…I wonder if you can heal other things." He tells me. I raise an eyebrow at him.

"I read in the chapter of the book that if someone has the power to heal, usually their blood, or their power can heal others." He explains. Huh, that'd also come in handy.

"Well let's see. Let's start with something small." I say, walking to the backdoor. He follows me outside.

I look around. I spot a small bird in the tree. I channel my energy in my hands and aim towards the bird. The ice shard shoots straight, and hits the bird, knocking it off the tree. We run up to it, inspecting it. It lies in the snow, lifeless.

"Okay. I can kill. Now how do I bring it back?" I ask him, looking into his blue eyes.

"I don't know. Try breathing on it, placing your hands on it, and then the blood thing. But we'd need syringes." He suggests, shrugging his shoulders. I try breathing on the bird, focusing on healing it. Suddenly I hear a small squeak come from the bird's mouth. I open my eyes in shock. The bird ruffles its feathers, shaking off the snow.

"I did it!" I shout, scaring off the bird. I jump into Jake's open arms. He hugs me, just as excited as I am.

"That was amazing. Now we know you can bring things back from the dead. Let's try wounds." He wiggles his eyebrows at me.

"On you? No way." I say firmly.

"Why? I know that you can do this." He tells me. I can see in his eyes that's he's confident.

"Let's read the book first. It will help me." I offer. He nods. We walk back in the house and crack open this mysterious book. We spend a few hours reading through the book. It's amazing how much this Dr. Suresh knows. It's opened my eyes. There are others like me out there. I want to find them.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you all so much for reading, and reviewing this story. Sorry I haven't updated, but here it is! Enjoy!**

Chapter Three:

"Alright. Well I should be going…" Jake says, shoving his hands in his pockets. We had such an amazing day looking through the book, and practicing my powers.

"Have a safe drive back. Watch out." I warn him, crossing my arms.

"Hey, we never talked about what happened today." He says. He stares at me with a fiery intensity.

"There's not much to talk about." I say quietly.

"Yes there is, you just don't want to tell me." He says, inching closer to me.

"It was scary. He was so…creepy. He said I was the only one he couldn't kill. He also said that he needed my power. I have a feeling that's not the last time I will see him." I say, staring at the floor.

"I'm sorry. I wish I was able to protect you. I'm just ordinary. I can't shoot lasers out of my eyes or anything." He says, looking down. I feel bad. It must be hard to be so 'helpless' when people around you have extra powers.

"Hey, I like you just the way you are. I like that you don't have a weird abnormity. It makes you who you are. It makes me feel more normal." I tell him. He looks up at me and smiles softly.

"Thanks. Well, goodnight, I'll text you in the morning." He says. He leans in, and hugs me. I wrap my arms around his strong build. This hug is warm, and safe. I breathe in his cologne. We break apart, and he walks down the icy steps cautiously.

I close the door and start getting ready for bed. I walk into the cold bathroom, and begin washing my face. Today went well. Now I just have to find the others, but I don't know where to start.

I hear a tapping at the window. I look over and see Sylar staring at me with an evil grin on his face. I blink, and I'm staring at his face still. So it's not a hallucination. How is he doing that? I'm on the second story!

The ice armor is back, and this time, it covers my legs, and arms. I walk over to the window.

"Go away! Why are you even here?" I say, my tone fierce.

"I need to talk to you. I can't kill you, we've already established that, so there's no harm." He says. I roll my eyes and open the window. He glides in easily.

"I need your help." He says. His brown eyes stare at me with such intensity, I have to look away.

"With what?" I ask.

"Your power is very strong, I need you to break into a secret hideout for me." He explains.

"A secret hideout? Why can't you do it yourself? You are the powerful and deadly Sylar after all." I remark. Shock flickers in his eyes.

"How do you know that name? I introduced myself as Gabriel…" He trails off. Crap. I can't let him know my dad told me. That might get him killed.

"I researched you. I found out about all the people you killed. It came up as Sylar, so I put the two and two together." I say. He studies my face, not sure if he believes me.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter. I need your help because this secret hideout is under twenty feet of ice. And seeing as how you're the Ice Queen…." He says, smiling.

"Fine. Where is this secret hideout?" I ask.

"In Antarctica." He smirks.

"Are you kidding me?! I have school on Monday! I can't just pack up and go to Antarctica!" I say, my voice gaining some volume. He places his hands on my ice-covered shoulders.

"It will take us two seconds to get there. I can fly, so we will be there and back in the blink of an eye." He says. I can see that there's something important in this ice hideout. He's so eager to get there. Maybe if I help him, he'll leave us alone.

"Okay. But if I'm not back by tomorrow, we are going to have some serious problems." I say. He chuckles. He wraps his arm around my torso and recoils.

"Do you mind not being an ice sculpture on this voyage? You're kind of too cold for my liking." He says. I glare at him. I take deep breaths, and focus on calming down. The ice disappears form my upper body.

"There. Happy?" I mock. He shakes his head smiling, and wraps his arm around me again. He hugs me close. I feel uncomfortable, but I wrap my arms around him anyway.

We soar out the window, and into the dark chilly night. I feel better now that we're outside, in fresh air. The snow-covered trees whizz by below us.

"How are you?" He asks loudly, over the wind.

"I'm fine. Are you cold?" I ask.

"Yes. Holding you doesn't help." He says, smirking.

"You're free to drop me now, I won't die, I promise." I remark.

"Not happening. You're too valuable." He says, staring into my eyes dreamily.

"Doubt that." I say, looking down. We begin to get closer to the snow-covered ground. This isn't Antarctica…

"Where are we?" I ask.

"New York." He smiles. I shoot him a confused look.

"Why are we in New York? I thought we were going to Antarctica…" I narrow my eyes at him.

"Pit stop." He says, and suddenly knocks me backwards with his power. I smash my head on a frozen rock. I hear the deafening crack of my neck snapping. Everything goes black.

 **Sylar's POV**

I hear the loud crack of her neck snapping in two. I smile, satisfied. That young, naïve girl…Didn't her father ever teach her about stranger danger? I'm about to take off, when something catches my eye. I look closer at her twisted form. White frost begins to cover her body. It's as if it's growing on her. I walk closer. Soon her whole body is covered in a thick blanket of icy crystals. She doesn't appear to be conscience…

"Gabby?" I ask. Nothing.

"Get away from her, Sylar." I hear a familiar voice threaten.

"Just who I wanted to see. I haven't talked to you in- like a couple weeks. How are you doing?" I fake enthusiasm.

"Stop playing games." Peter says, an angry expression on his face.

"What are you going to do? Stop me?" I laugh hysterically.

"No. But she will." He nods towards Gabrielle.

"Isn't funny that the only person on this earth that can stop me has the same name as me? Or rather the female version...So poetic." I sigh.

"Well, I must be going…" I say. Suddenly Peter and Gabby are gone. Damn it! He had that time traveler's gift! I look around franticly. No sign of them. I grind my teeth. He should've never done that…


End file.
